


Magnets

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Homeless, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Break Up, Daryl is homeless, First Love, Getting Back Together, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Paul is a college student, Reunions, caring!paul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-03 22:36:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16334546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: At sixteen, they were forced to break up due to Paul moving away.Six years later, Paul is in his final year of college when he finds the high school boyfriend that he never really got over living on the streets.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> have a lil thing x

_Paul catches Daryl eye; he's walking across the grass just inside the school and Daryl is coming out of his English classroom. Paul nods his head towards the gym and begins towards it, knowing that Daryl will follow behind him._

_He walks to the back of the building and leans against the brick wall. After a few moments, he can hear Daryl's boots against the concrete as he walks along the path to him. Paul sighs heavily and squeezes his eyes closed._

_For the past week, it's been awkward between them. Paul had to tell Daryl that his group home was investigated and that he, along with the other kids, are being transferred, Paul himself is being moved all the way to Richmond, Virginia, eight hours away from Georgia. One of the younger kids that are still in grade school, Penny, had talked to her teacher about how neglectful their carers are._

_Both Paul and Daryl are only sixteen, so Paul doesn't have a choice in moving, and Daryl can't come with him. Paul doesn't think that Daryl would go even if he could, his father seems to have a rope round Daryl's neck like a leash. Paul doesn't know if the slightly older boy would be able to find the bravery and strength to untie it. Paul doesn't quite understand why as talking about Will Dixon isn't something they do all that much._

_Daryl finally rounds the corner, his head is down, and he steps over to lean against the tree opposite Paul. Paul watches as he takes a deep breath and crosses his arms before finally looking up at Paul._

_"How did the test go?" Paul asks awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck._

_Daryl shrugs. "I think I did okay, should pass."_

_Paul smiles. "Well done, I'm proud of you."_

_Daryl huffs through his nose and avoids Paul's eyes again, watching a squirrel that's scuttering along a nearby tree. "What did you want?" He finally asks, voice quiet._

_Paul sighs, wishing Daryl would look up at him again, his eyes are so beautiful, and Paul can't stand the thought that he isn't going to be able to see them again. "I'm moving eight hours away, Daryl. What are we going to do?"_

_Daryl looks up at him, sadness is written all over his face. "I think we both know what we gotta do." He murmurs, eyes flickering over Paul's face and fiddling with his fingers._

_Paul runs a hand over his face. "We don't have to break up," He begins, desperately trying to find an answer as to how they could make this work, Paul knew that this is what was coming, but that doesn't mean that's what he wanted. "Maybe if you came forward about your dad, you could be put in care with me, or somewhere close…" And now Paul's rambling, he knows that it's unrealistic, that it would never happen, but he's desperate._

_Daryl steps closer to him, "Paul," He murmurs, he glances around to make sure nobody can see them before he wraps his arms around Paul's waist. They both sigh when Paul's move around Daryl's neck and they fall into each other. "You're getting out of this hellhole, fuckin' do something with your life and don't be worrying about what could have been. The two of us trying to stay together with an eight-hour distance between us, two years before we can do what we want, it would make both of our lives harder. We'd be miserable, even if we don't wanna admit it."_

_Paul's face falls, and he lowers his head, his nose bumping against Daryl's forehead. He swears that he physically feel his heart aching. He knew that this was going to hurt, but he didn't know that it would be this bad. He meets Daryl's eyes again, and he finds them watery like his own._

_"I wish I didn't have to go, as awful as this town is, it's where you are."_

_"I know, Me too," Daryl whispers, Paul uses his thumbs to wipe away the tears slipping from the older boy's eyes._

_"I love you," Paul tells him._

_He wishes that this didn't have to end, that today is probably the last time he'll ever see Daryl. He had snuck into the school to say goodbye to him before he leaves tomorrow. Daryl hadn't been at his and his father's trailer for Paul to do it there._

_Daryl holds him tighter and buries his face into Paul's neck. "I love you,_ _'m gonna miss you."_

_Paul strokes Daryl's short hair and kisses his head, holding Daryl as close as he possibly can. He can feel his neck getting wet from Daryl's tears, and Paul can't hold back his own anymore. Hot tears leak down his cheeks, and he squeezes his eyes closed tightly. He thinks that now is the first time it's really hit him that he's moving away, that he's losing the only person that he loves._


	2. Reunion

Paul can feel the cold night air biting at his neck, his hair is down which usually helps, but it's windy which is sending it into disarray. He decides he very much should invest in a scarf, it's the start of February, so he still has a few weeks of this weather.

It's a Sunday night, and after studying all weekend to get ready for his art history test tomorrow morning, he had needed to get out of his dorm room. He went out to dinner with Maggie and Glenn at a burger joint, halfway between the campus and Maggie and Glenn's apartment, so it was fair travel for both of them.

After dinner, Maggie and Glenn had gone home because Maggie also has the same test tomorrow, and Glenn was just tired. But Paul, he was craving a cupcake from a nearby bakery that he and Maggie both love.

Now, he's just finished munching on his chocolate cupcake with caramel frosting and is walking back to his car that he had left in the restaurant car park, it's a busy night, and he wasn't entirely sure he would be able to find a park.

So, he had just walked. On his way back, he had decided to take a different street than usual, this one seemed quieter and less crowded than the other, mostly closed clothing shops instead of restaurants.

He's only two blocks away from his car when he hears a cough coming from the alleyway he's halfway walking past. He glances back over his shoulder and sighs when his suspicions are correct, in the alley beside a dumpster and leaning against the brick of wall of the building that forms one side of the alley is a man. Paul shakes his head, filled with sympathy, it's freezing out, and he can't believe there's somebody who has to sleep on the cold concrete.

Paul remembers the change he had from buying his cupcake and digs into his pocket, he pulls out the notes and counts them, fifteen dollars in total. He figures he can do this much, tell him to buy himself a blanket or some hot food.

Being careful, Paul steps into the alleyway. He approaches the man, he's sitting with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around him, trying to keep himself warm Paul guesses.

Paul's presence is known when he's a few meters away by the thud of his doc's on the concrete, and the man looks up.

It takes several moments, but when he realizes, he freezes on the spot, almost dropping the notes in his hand.

The man that sits in front of him is the same boy that Paul had had to say goodbye to six years ago. He's six years older, his jawline and cheekbones sharper, one of his eyes is black, but in the dim street lamp lighting, Paul recognizes those ocean blues that he spent his teen years in love with. His hair is long, down to his shoulders that Paul notices are ridiculously broader than before. It's been six years since he's seen him, but Paul knows that it's him.

"Daryl?" Paul manages to sputter out after several seconds, he's sure he looks ridiculous, mouth dropped open and both his brows raised.

The man who had been glaring at him, a way of keeping his guard up, looks Paul up and down as his face furrows with confusion as he tries to figure out who Paul is.

And Paul can't blame him, in the last six years, Paul's body that used to just be slim, is now almost complete muscle due to all his gym and martial art hours, he's broader and taller. His baby face is now covered by his thick beard, and his once short styled hair is now four inches past his collarbones and falling freely.

Paul's just about to tell the man who he is, when Daryl speaks up, his face being overcome with recognition.

"Paul?" He murmurs, repeatedly glancing Paul up and down and over his face.

Paul manages to nod, and Daryl seems to say in shock for several moments before he scrambles to stand up, the sudden movement startles Paul out of his frozen state, and he takes a few steps back to give Daryl some room.

When he stands up, Paul gets a better look at his body, and all he can think is _fuck, he's thin._

Though he still has muscle tone, Paul can see that his ribs are prominently sticking out from his sweater and there doesn't look to be much on his stomach or face, and he can see a collarbone peeking out from the neckline of his sweater, also worryingly prominent. On top of that, his clothes are ripped and dirty, covered in all kinds of stains that Paul doesn't even want to try and guess what they are. There's an unpleasant smell coming from him, and that's to be expected, it doesn't bother Paul in the slightest, he's understanding of the situation and is too wrapped up in the fact that Daryl Dixon is standing in front of him to pay attention to anything else.

"Holy fuck, I don't…" Paul mumbles, his eyes lock with Daryl's and he realizes how the man looks, he looks embarrassed, ashamed, his cheeks stained red. "It's been so long, I never thought I'd see you again. I'm not even sure I'm even awake right now… How the fuck did you end up here?"

"Ah, I didn't come up here trying to chase after you, or nothin'." Daryl mumbles, sniffling loudly when he finishes.

Paul sighs, and he feels so incredibly out of his element. He was just planning on helping out a homeless person by giving them some money, he wasn't expecting to find the boy he spent two years dating, and then two years after that remaining in love with him. Looking at him now, Paul wonders if he ever stopped.

Paul thinks for several moments, and they're both silent, Daryl awkwardly shifting on his feet and playing with his fingers and wiping at his wet nose with his sleeve.

Paul looks at Daryl, and he remembers how much he wanted to be able to help him from his father when they were teenagers, but Paul couldn't even help himself. Now, Paul is twenty-two years old, a stable adult only a few months away from getting his degree, he's making enough money instructing at the dojo to live comfortably, his scholarship also covers most of his college expenses.

Paul knows that he can help Daryl if the other man will let him. Paul wonders if he still trusts him like he did all those years ago.

"Do you want to go somewhere? Somewhere warm where we can talk, and if you feel comfortable, I want you to stay with me tonight." He says to the other man, hoping that his words do not scare him off. Daryl's been sniffling and coughing on and off, Paul suspects that he has a cold.

Daryl looks at him with furrowed brows. "You don't owe me nothin', Paul." He grunts.

"You were the most important person in my life for a long time, and just because we broke up and haven't seen each other in six years doesn't mean that I don't want to help you. Let me."

"I don't…" Daryl trails off, seeming unsure as to how to reply.

Paul sighs and takes a step towards the other man, looking up and locking their eyes together.

_Fuck his eyes are more beautiful than I remembered._

He reaches out and carefully grasps Daryl's wrist, thumb brushing his skin and bones. He feels and sees the man's entire body tense, and he glances down at Paul's hand nervously, Paul does too, and it still doesn't seem real, he still can't believe this man is standing in front of him, that he's touching him.

"Daryl, you would do the same for me, I know you would. Let's just start by going to my car, okay? I'll put the heater on so you're warm, and we can talk, no pressure at all, I just want you to know that you have the option." Paul explains, very much hoping that Daryl will agree.

Daryl huffs, pondering his choices for almost a minute before he sighs heavily and searches Paul's face. And Paul gets déjà vu, it reminds him so much of when they were teenagers, and Daryl would be nervous and unsure about so many things, especially Paul trying to help him.

"Sure, I ain't bein' a bother? I don't want you to go out of your way for me." He whispers, shy and unsure of himself. Paul just wants to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go.

Paul smiles softly and nods, "I am sure, you're not a bother, I'm not going out of my way, and even if I were, it wouldn't matter because it's for you."

"Okay." Daryl finally whispers after thinking for several more moments, Paul watches as he turns around and picks up a backpack from where he had been sitting.  
  
"Follow me," Paul says, still holding Daryl's wrist and beginning to make his way out of the alleyway, ready to walk the last couple of blocks to his car.

 

* * *

  

It takes them ten minutes to get to Paul's car, Daryl hesitates again when Paul holds the door open, but Paul smiles softly at him and gently presses at his lower back to encourage him to get into the car.

Once he's in, Paul closes the door behind him and gets into the car himself, immediately turning it on and reaching for the heater.

"It shouldn't take too long to warm up, the car's cheap but it works pretty well," Paul tells the other man, turning in his seat, so he's facing Daryl.

Daryl nods awkwardly, attempting to brush some dirt off his hands for a few seconds before giving up and looking to Paul with a deep red flush on his cheeks. "Thanks..." He mumbles, again wiping his running nose on his stained sweater sleeve.

"Are you sick?" Paul asks worriedly.

Daryl grunts. "Have been since the start of December, jus' a cold, been through worse than a damn cold."

Paul shakes his head with a sigh. "I can't imagine how hard it's been for you, my god you would have been fucking freezing."

"Did get pretty nasty, ' especially last month. I managed though."

Paul hates to think about it, while he's been nice and cozy in his dorm room, Daryl's been sleeping on the freezing cold streets fifteen minutes from Campus.

"Can I ask why you ended up on the streets? And how you came to Richmond in general?" Paul finally asks the questions that have been niggling at his brain.

Daryl sighs heavily, sniffing as well. "Stayed with dad to finish high school… managed to graduate, had to do some stuff though."

"What do you mean?" Paul asks curiously.

"Answer that another time?" Daryl asks after being silent for several moments, and seeing how uncomfortable he appears to be, Paul nods in agreement, even though millions of possibilities are running through his head. "Stayed two years after, then Merle got out of prison and me 'n him came up here. Lived together until almost a year ago, he was still dealin', got caught and thrown back in jail again." Daryl takes a shaky breath, and when he glances at Paul nervously, Paul gives him what he hopes is a reassuring smile. "I was doin' okay with rent, hard, but manageable. Then some old enemies of Merle showed up, he owed them money. They took everything I had, and after that, I got evicted, lost my job because I couldn't make it to work. Been homeless for about eight months now."

Paul's overcome with guilt by Daryl's recount, only being able to imagine how awful it would have been for the man to of had his life taken away like that. "I'm so sorry." Paul almost whimpers, he rubs his hands over his face for several moments. "I'm sorry I left Georgia, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here, that I couldn't have helped you sooner."

"None of that shit was in your control, and I don't need help."

While the first part of Daryl's sentence may be true, Paul knows the second one isn't. Daryl needs help, and Paul finds himself so desperately want to give it to him. "Let me help you, please. I want to, Daryl."

Daryl looks up at him, and Paul knows that the man is searching his face for any sign that he's lying, but he won't find any. "Where you livin'?" He finally asks.

"I live in a dorm room at the college. I don't have a roommate, but it is a two-bed room, so you don't need to worry about that."

"You're in college? Remember you always told me you wanted to."

Paul smiles at him, finding himself wanting to reach over and grasp his hand. "Yeah, I'll be getting my degree in Fine Arts in May, providing I pass my finals of course." He says with a chuckle, even though the thought of his past four years of hard work being for nothing if he doesn't pass his finals makes him feel sick.

Daryl smiles softly, and it's the first time Paul's seen it in six years, he thinks he could very nearly cry. "Of course you'll pass 'em, Paul." He says, and immediately, Paul smiles wide.

"Well," Paul starts, and he does reach for Daryl's hand this time. "I could do with another study buddy, and I would really like if you were off the streets and somewhere safe."

Daryl sighs heavily, and Paul doesn't push him when he spends the next few minutes sitting in silence and pondering his thoughts, wiping his runny nose and tapping his fingers on his thigh. "Are you sure?" He asks softly, not seeming to be able to meet Paul's eyes. Paul nods firmly. "Okay, I'll pay you back."

Paul could argue, and at some point, he will, but right now he's got Daryl to agree to come with him. So he'll leave making sure Daryl knows he doesn't have to pay him back for another day.

Paul smiles and puts the car in drive. "Alright, let's go home." He says and pulls out onto the road.


	3. Caring

Paul hurries along the path that leads to his dorm building, his hand is holding Daryl's tightly to ensure he stays following him (the man had already gotten nervous and tried to run off twice). It's nearing one am now, and it's even colder, and Paul can hear Daryl shivering, but despite his efforts, the man refused to take his jacket.

He looks over at Daryl, the man is walking along beside him and looking around at all the buildings surrounding them.

Paul smiles at him fondly as they reach the glass door to his building, Paul pulls his security card out and swipes it, and he pushes the door open.

"The elevators are just down here," Paul says as they step inside and begin walking down the hallway.

They step inside the elevator, and Paul presses the button for the sixth floor. He watches as Daryl sighs and falls back against the elevator wall, closing his eyes and looking incredibly exhausted. "What time's it?" He asks.

Paul pulls his phone from his pocket and reads the screen. "It's just past one," Paul answers as the elevator dings open, Paul reaches out and retakes Daryl's hand and leads him down the hallway to his dorm room. "So the dining hall will be closed until the morning, but I have some food in here," Paul says as he unlocks the door and steps inside, motioning for Daryl to follow him.

Paul's dorm room is a complete mess, he won't lie, after living in this tiny room for four years, it's not even surprising. On the left side of the room is his bed, which is just a mess of blankets and mismatched pillows along with some clothes. More dirty clothes are along the floor, and some are spilling out of his wardrobe. The only organized thing in the room is the desk on the right side, that's where he does all his theory work and studying. The second desk in the room (as this dorm is actually meant for two people) is where he does all his practical art, the surface is a mess of paints, papers, works, stains, supplies. He knows he'll have to pay for a replacement when he graduates. Every other surface in the dorm room (including some areas of the floor) is covered in books, whether they're school books or novels, they're all everywhere.

"I'm sorry about the mess," Paul says, and he flushes a little in embarrassment. He places his hand on Daryl's lower back and directs him into the small bathroom, "Sit down, I'll grab you some clean clothes to wear."

Daryl, looking incredibly awkward, does as Paul says and carefully sits down on top of the toilet seat. "Thanks." He mumbles as Paul exits the bathroom in search of clothes.

Paul steps over to his wardrobe and begins rummaging through it for something for Daryl, sighing heavily as he does because he really wants the man to be comfortable. He wonders how long it's been since the man has had a decent hot shower or a shower at all.

Finally, he finds a dark blue sweater and a pair of black sweats, he's about to head back into the bathroom before he remembers boxers and socks (because he remembers Daryl is one of those people who can sleep with socks on) so, he scrambles around for those.

Finally, having all the clothing he needs, Paul enters the bathroom again. He finds Daryl right where he left him, awkwardly sitting on the toilet seat, looking down at the white tiles and fiddling with his dirty fingers.

"These will fit," Paul tells him and places the clothes down on the vanity, glancing at himself in the mirror for a second, and god his hairs a mess. "The shower's simple enough, unlimited hot water so take as long as you need. There's soap, shampoo, and conditioner in there." He tells him as he motions to the shower, then moving to the drawers and cabinet beneath the vanity. "In here, there are lotions, some first aid stuff, creams, some scissors, and razors if you want to trim or shave or whatever. Uh, there's plenty in there, just read the labels and see what you want to use. I'll get you a spare toothbrush after you've eaten. Oh, and a spare towel for you over there."

Daryl sighs heavily as he looks around the bathroom for a few moments before settling on Paul, and Paul smiles warmly at him. "Thank you, really. Means a lot." He whispers, holding eye contact for a few seconds before looking down again.

"You're very welcome, Daryl. Now go and enjoy your shower." Paul tells him as he steps out of the bathroom, he closes the door behind him and then leans against it.

After taking almost five minutes to process what's happening, he pushes himself off the door and begins working on making the second bed comfortable for Daryl. He grabs one of the pillows from his bed and places it on the bare one before grabbing spare blankets and sheets from his closet. He makes Daryl's bed as best he can, and reminds himself to make sure to tell the man to let him know if he's still cold.

Next, he's set on the task of making up something for Daryl to eat, ignoring the heaviness of his eyes.

Paul's not sure how long it's been since Daryl had a good meal but judging by how loudly his stomach had been grumbling on their drive back to campus, he knows it's at least been a while.

By the time he's finished, he has Daryl's new little area set up. The bed is made, his nightstand has been cleaned of books so he can put his own things on it, his backpack sits by the foot of the bed, Paul hadn't gone through it, so he just left it there. On the bed lay a water bottle and a plate of food for Daryl. There's a large apple, some crackers with cheese on them, a banana, two ham sandwiches, and a chocolate bar.

Daryl seems to be taking advantage of the bathroom. It was at least ten minutes before he turned the shower on, he was then in the shower for roughly fifteen minutes, and the shower had stopped a while ago.

Paul had no plan of rushing him, so he got changed into sweats himself and sat down on his own bed, pulling out his notes, deciding to go over them again for the test in the morning.

Finally, Daryl shyly exits the bathroom, holding his dirty clothes in his hands. "Where should I put these?" He asks quietly, already eyeing the plate of food on his bed.

"There's a plastic bag on the door handle," Paul replies, and Daryl nods as he moves the bathroom door to be able to place his clothes in them.

Paul thinks that really, he should just buy Daryl new clothes instead of the other man having to wear his worn, ripped ones, but he decides he'll bring that up later.

Paul looks at him and immediately, feels more at ease. His hair is clean and dry, the dirt has been scrubbed from his face and the rest of his body, he looks warm and cute in Paul's clothes, though the prominence of his ribs is still worrying. He looks clean, but still so nervous that Paul just wants to hold him. And that thought alone is strange, because very quickly is he feeling old feelings returned, and he had thought that he got over Daryl years ago.

"Sorry for keeping you up," Daryl mumbles, still standing by the bathroom.

Paul smiles at him fondly. "I'm in my final year of college, and three months away from finals and graduation, I barely sleep anyway, don't worry." He assures the other man and Daryl chuckles. Paul then motions over to Daryl's bed. "That's your bed and your food. Have at it."

Daryl nods and quickly walks over to the bed, his stomach getting the better of him. "Thank you." He replies as he sits down on the mattress, tucking the blankets over his legs and then pulling the plate onto his lap, immediately going for a sandwich.

Paul continues to study until Daryl has finished eating fifteen minutes later when Paul notices he's done, he closes his book and leans to place it back onto his desk.

"What were you studying for?" Daryl asks curiously as he lays himself down entirely in the bed, resting his head on the pillow and pulling the covers to his chin.

"I have an Art History test tomorrow," Paul replies as he walks over to the light switch by the door. "So, I'll need to leave her at about eight-ish, but you can stay in here, find yourself a book or my iPad, whatever you want to do," Paul explains as he crawls back into his bed, the room now dark.

"Okay," Daryl murmurs into darkness, the sound of him shifting to get comfortable fills Paul's ear. He's reminded of the time about a year into their relationship, where they first shared a sleep space, it had been on a school camping trip, and they were sharing a tent together. There was a fair way from the other students at teachers, so they had a fair amount of privacy. It had started off awkward, then it was cute and giggly. Finally, things had escalated, and Paul ended up sucking Daryl's dick (and dick in general) for the first time, he remembers how adorable, but so fucking hot, Daryl had been, especially when he jerked Paul off after.

Paul shoves the memory out of his head and closes his eyes. "Goodnight, Daryl. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Paul."

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are loved! Xxx
> 
> Tumblr - iiloulouii


End file.
